1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a plasma display apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma display apparatus having an improved structure capable of dissipating heat generated by a device installed in a signal transmission member.
2. Related Art
A plasma display apparatus is a flat panel display which displays images using a gas discharge phenomenon, and is highlighted as a next generation flat panel display which can substitute for a cathode ray tube (CRT) since it has excellent display characteristics, such as display capacity, brightness, contrast, residual image, and viewing angle.
The plasma display apparatus includes a plasma display panel, a chassis base disposed in parallel with the plasma display panel, a circuit unit mounted on a rear portion of the chassis base for driving the plasma display panel, and a case for receiving the plasma display panel, the chassis base and the circuit unit.
In the plasma display apparatus, the circuit unit and the plasma display panel are electrically connected by a signal transmission member, such as a tape carrier package (TCP) and a chip on film (COF), for driving the panel. The TCP is formed as a package by mounting a device, for example, a driving integrated circuit (IC), on a tape, and the COF is formed by mounting a device on a film forming a flexible printed cable (FPC). The TCP and COF have flexibility, and are capable of reducing the size of the circuit unit since a plurality of devices can be mounted thereon.
However, in the TCP or COF, a lot of heat is generated from devices mounted on the TCP or COF while driving the plasma display panel, and if the heat cannot be dissipated sufficiently, the devices may malfunction and cause a problem in displaying images on the plasma display panel. In particular, if the plasma display panel is driven in a high definition (HD) single scan mode, the devices mounted on the TCP or COF connecting an address driving unit of the circuit unit and address electrodes generate more heat, and thus a unit for dissipating the heat effectively is required.